Bow-Wows (ワンワン,Wan-Wan?) are recurring creatures in the Legend of Zelda series. They are spherical, toothed animals that lunge at their enemies to attack. Depending on the game, Bow-Wows serve as both enemies and allies. Interestingly, Bow-Wows act very similarly to domesticated dogs. The "chain" that is a part of their bodies serve as a sort of leash for the holder. They also occasionally emit sounds similar to a dog's bark.

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Appearances

Bow-Wows are enemies. They appear mainly in Turtle Rock, and are completely immune to all of Link's items. Their primary attack is to swiftly lunge at Link, dealing heavy damage. Bow-Wows also appear in the entrance to the Palace of the Four Sword.

Three Bow-Wows are the pets of Madam MeowMeow. After Link completes the first dungeon, Tail Cave, one Bow-Wow is stolen by a pack of Moblins and must be rescued from the Moblin Cave in order to continue onward to the Bottle Grotto. Once rescued, Link can utilize its chain as a leash, and Bow-Wow will attack all that oppose Link. Link can use this effect to destroy the Goponga Flower surrounding the Bottle Grotto. Link must return Bow-Wow to Madam MeowMeow before he can complete the Kanalet Castle side quest, as Richard will not speak to him and Kiki will not accept the Bananas Link offers him until he does so. Bow-Wow will also tell Link to dig if he is standing over an area that has a Secret Seashell.

Other Bow-Wows in the game include a few friendly, miniature yet identical creatures that appear unchained in a couple of buildings. One of these, Mini Bow-Wow, is portrayed as a female who, unusually, can speak and sports a Ribbon in her hair. She gives Link a can of Dog Food in exchange for the ribbon that she wears.

Chain Chomps (and by extension Bow-Wows) were inspired by an incident from Shigeru Miyamoto's childhood, when a fierce dog lunged towards him and almost bit him. However, the dog was tethered by a chain, holding it back (which was the origin of Chain Chomps' signature attack pattern) saving Miyamoto from being harmed.